Ultrasound image texture control using adaptive speckle control algorithm
First Claim
1. A method for adjusting speckle in an image, comprising the steps of:
- acquiring an input waveform Sin (x, y) representing an input image;
transforming said input waveform to form an in-phase component (Re(Sin (x, y)) and a quadrature phase component (Im(Sin (x, y)) of said input waveform; and
computing an output waveform Sout (x, y) representing a speckle-modulated region of said input image in accordance with the following equation;
space="preserve" listing-type="equation">S.sub.out (x,y)=|{(Re(S.sub.in (x,y)).sup.2 +M(Im(S.sub.in (x,y)).sup.2 }|.sup.0.5wherein M is an adaptive speckle control index having a value in a range -1≦
M<
1.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for controlling the contrast resolution and the tissue texture of ultrasonic images employs a signal processing algorithm to adjust an image by changing the tissue texture (speckle grain size). The algorithm increases the image contrast by allocating a different speckle pattern to different grey scale levels. This signal processing algorithm is based on the Hilbert transform. It uses the property of the Hilbert transform to generate a quadrature component of the given image which is modulated by the speckle pattern as well as all other image information. The quadrature component is then squared before being selectively added to or subtracted from the square of the in-phase component of the given image to control the information in the image. The added or subtracted signals have different textures (or spatial frequency components). The arithmetic operation between the in-phase and quadrature phase components determines the image texture. If this operation is done selectively, then the contrast and the texture of the image can be selectively controlled.
-
Citations
17 Claims
-
1. A method for adjusting speckle in an image, comprising the steps of:
-
acquiring an input waveform Sin (x, y) representing an input image; transforming said input waveform to form an in-phase component (Re(Sin (x, y)) and a quadrature phase component (Im(Sin (x, y)) of said input waveform; and computing an output waveform Sout (x, y) representing a speckle-modulated region of said input image in accordance with the following equation;
space="preserve" listing-type="equation">S.sub.out (x,y)=|{(Re(S.sub.in (x,y)).sup.2 +M(Im(S.sub.in (x,y)).sup.2 }|.sup.0.5wherein M is an adaptive speckle control index having a value in a range -1≦
M<
1. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A method for ultrasound imaging of an object, comprising the steps of:
-
transmitting an ultrasound beams along a scan line into an object to be imaged; forming an acoustic data signal representing the amplitude of a net ultrasound beam reflected by said object from a range point along said scan line, said acoustic data signal beamforming step being performed for each of a multiplicity of range points along said scan line; transforming each acoustic data signal to form an in-phase component and a quadrature phase component thereof; for at least one of said transformed acoustic data signals, generating adaptive acoustic data signals which represent the square root of the absolute value of a sum of the square of said in-phase component plus the product of an adaptive speckle control index times the square of said quadrature phase components, wherein said adaptive speckle control index has a value ≧
-1<
+1; anddisplaying a specular image of said adaptive acoustic data signals. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
-
-
12. An apparatus for adjusting speckle in an image, comprising:
-
a beamformer for acquiring an input waveform Sin (x, y) representing an input image; means for transforming said input waveform to form an in-phase component (Re(Sin (x, y)) and a quadrature phase component (Im(Sin (x, y)) of said input waveform; processing means for computing an output waveform Sout (x, y) representing a speckle-modulated region of said input image in accordance with the following equation;
space="preserve" listing-type="equation">S.sub.out (x,y)=|{(Re(S.sub.in (x,y)).sup.2 +M(Im(S.sub.in (x,y)).sup.2 }|.sup.0.5wherein M is an adaptive speckle control index having a value in a range -1≦
M<
1; andmeans for displaying said speckle-modulated region of said input image in conjunction with a non-speckle-adjusted region of said input image. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
Specification